Boxing Day Party

Last year Chloe and Jackie started a tradition of celebrating Boxing Day. It's a tradition that originated in England and is celebrated like a bank holiday in Canada, Britain and Australia. It is a sporting tradition here in Birdeye where the soccer starts at 7 am featuring Liverpool and Fulham.

This was my first Boxing Day party and I was in charge of the food (I had to work last year Dec. 26). I had Cinnamon rolls, coffee cake, ham and cheese sandwiches, and my mom's sausage and egg casserole ready for the action. We served bloody mary's and mimosa's and thanks to Julie, who brought the Chardonnay, we sipped on it during the day. One thing I didn't account for was the party going for nearly 12 hours, yes I said 12 hours. Thankfully when Mark and Bobby arrived they brought fried chicken, what a relief. Then by noon when I could tell the party was continuing into the afternoon, I got out the Pancho's and whipped up a Rendezvous-style platter with Colby longhorn-style cheese, saltines, pickles and summer sausage sprinkled with dry rub. But still my favorite thing on this buffet was my mom's casserole. Thankfully we ran out of beer at 5:30 and the party was over and kids were loading up in their cars. It was a fun day but I think I'll try and be at work during the next one. Jackie turned up his stereo during the football game, fired off wisecracks, and bad behavior. I've decided I'll be going to Mendikow on Monday for those diamonds I didn't get from Santa.

I haven't said it yet, but my mom is the reason I cook. Growing up in Oklahoma City, my mother always had home cooked meals. Mother always had her kitchen organized and under control while making a meal. I think this is key to any cook and will keep you in the kitchen if you're somewhat organized. Some of my favorites of hers are pork chops and rice, stuffed bell peppers, Mexican casserole, pot roast, pita pizzas, deer chili and breakfast for dinner. When we would travel to the lake cabin during the summer, she'd have the best food packed up that we'd enjoy for the weekend like grilled chicken strips, beef brisket and the like. Good memories and fun times with mother.

Marilyn's Sausage and Egg Casserole (I doubled this today)

1 lb. sausage (I used the extra sage kind)
1 can chopped green chiles, undrained (I added two heaping spoonfuls diced japs for a little extra kick, but I could've used a 1/4 cup)
2 cups grated cheese (I used Colby jack)
6 eggs (I doubled this recipe, and used 16 fresh eggs)
1/2 c. milk

Brown sausage, drain well. Mix sausage with green chiles and cheese. Put in a greased 8 X 11 casserole dish. Whisk eggs and milk together and pour on top of sausage mixture. Bake 25 minutes on 350. (I baked it 30 minutes to get the eggs more "set up")

Well, I am glad Boxing Day has come and gone. We had Benton, Grac, Helbron/Richard, Bettie/John, Julie/Matt, Bobby, Mark, Reece, Martin and the kids, Whit/Stella, Tom B/Clarah Creighton, Chloe, Cooper, Eli/Trevor/Austin and J Gracchus/Caroline. It was a fun party and I am thankful I have 364 days until the next one. If I'm not working next year, I'll be shopping and staying over at the Peabody in Memphis.

Christmas Day Coffee Cake

Friday, December 25, 2009

Merry Christmas!

I learned a few Christmas' ago to be sure and have breakfast lined up and ready. I found this recipe in Southern Living about four years ago and I love it because you will always have the ingredients in your pantry and it takes 30 minutes from mixing to out of the oven.

Brown Sugar-Pecan Coffee Cake

2 c. flour
2 c. brown sugar, firmly packed
3/4 c. butter, cubed
1 c. sour cream, I always use lite
1 large egg, lightly beaten, Chloe's brown eggs from her bantham chickens are wonderfully dark in color
1 t. baking soda
3 T. sugar
1 t. cinnamon
1 c. chopped pecans, I never add this

Stir together flour and brown sugar in a large bowl. Cut the butter into flour mixture with a pastry blender or 2 forks until crumbly. Press 2-3/4 c. crumb mixture evenly on the bottom of a lightly greased 13X9 pan. Stir together sour cream, egg and baking soda and add to remaining crumb mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir together sugar and cinnamon. Pour sour cream mixture over crumb crust in pan and sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar mixture. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean.

Wow, this is fabulous cooled right out of the oven. I'll have to pump up the insulin this morning! Chloe declined the coffee cake because of the name I think. She voted for pepperoni and pickles, unbelievable!

Potato Soup

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

One of my favorite recipes during the winter months is this potato soup. I've given it for years with southern cornbread to friends during the holidays. Nothing like a meal that you can nuke in the microwave later on in the week. I've been making this recipe from Carolyn Raffety for years, and via Jackie, I cut down the amount of bacon in it which is truly remarkable since he claims I don't serve enough meat around here. And it was noticeable last night when he had Fettuccine Alfredo! Carolyn is another wonderful cook born and raised in Cross County. We are lucky to have so many friends and family with good culinary skills!

Potato Bacon Chowder, Carolyn Raffety

8 slices bacon, cut up
1 c. onion, chopped
4 c. cooked potatoes, cubed. I use 3-4 med potatoes for one recipe, boil with lid off or you'll have a mess I did this morning! I also use russet potatoes.
1 c. water
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 c. sour cream, I always use light
1-3/4 c. milk, I always use 2% but could use cream
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper

Fry bacon until crisp. Remove bacon and saute onion in drippings. (I microwave the bacon and just transfer drippings to a mini skillet and cook the onions until translucent). Drain onion on paper towel. Combine all ingredients and 1/2 the bacon in soup pot and warm over med-low heat. (Don't boil). Add bacon to crumble on top. Serves 6.

Southern Cornbread

2 c. self-rising cornmeal
1-3/4 c. buttermilk, could use 1-1/2 c. 2% milk
1/4 c. veg oil
1 egg, beaten

Combine all ingredients and pour into a prepared cast iron skillet. Bake 20 minutes at 400 degrees. (To prepare cast iron, per my mother-in-law, pour veg oil in cold skillet and put in oven when preheating it. Once the oven is to the right temperature, carefully take skillet out of oven and pour oil into batter. BE SURE not to let that skillet stay in the oven past pre-heating, it will turn into a grease fire! This also helps season your skillet over time.)

Christmas Party, Birdeye (shrimp and grits)

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Our third Christmas Party was a fun time! I confess that I didn't take many pictures because I was so busy visiting with our fabulous friends who took the time to come to this party. Kara's table was beautiful and we had a great time filling it up with hits like her toffee, grilled bacon-wrapped duck (pic #2 LB Vaught hunted nearby and delivered to Kara), onion dip, rum cake, ham sammies and the like. It's the perfect time of year to have good friends over. We were blessed by our company, that's for sure.

Kara wanted to change our shrimp item on the table this year to Shrimp and Grits. I spent the last two months finding recipes and taste testing them so I'd have the right one. The Maverick Grits was a good choice that I blogged on in November but this one really was the bomb.com. I didn't double it and we had plenty. It's easy to do and I was thrilled that Sara Burrow helped me in my kitchen getting it together before the sitters arrived. I must give her the credit on making this. I love this recipe.

Shrimp and Grits from Epicurious.com The Deen Bros., Take it Easy Cookbook it says.

Grits
3 C. milk, I used 2%
1/2 t. salt
1-1/2 C. old fashioned grits, I used quick cooking
3 C. grated cheddar

Shrimp
6 T. unsalted butter, I used regular butter
6 T. flour
2 medium bell peppers, seeded and chopped
2 medium onions, I used white, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped, I used 2 heaping tablespoons jarred diced jalapenos, 3 weeks ago I had fresh peppers in the garden, dang!
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-1/2 t. salt
pepper to taste
2 C. cream, I did use cream and it was delicious!
2 14 oz cans diced tomatoes
2 lbs. large shrimp, peeled and deveined, thanks to Jackie for getting this chore done, I used medium shrimp by the way
Tabasco to taste
1/2 C. grated Parmesan, I grated my own instead of the jarred
2 T. chopped fresh parsley for garnish, I didn't have any

To make the grits, combine 4 cups water, milk and the salt in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil and slowly whisk in the grits and reduce heat to medium low. Cover the saucepan and simmer, stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes or until thickened. Stir in cheddar cheese. Cover and keep warm. (this does seem like a ton of liquid to just a little amount of grits, but it works!)

To make the shrimp, melt the butter in a large skillet, add the flour and cook, stirring until the mixture is dark and golden about 5 minutes. Add the peppers, onions, garlic, 1/2 t. salt and pepper. Cook vegetables until softened, about 5 minutes. It took Sara over 10 before the onion was soft.

Slowly whisk in the cream when it's totally incorporated, add the tomatoes and 2/3 cup water and shrimp. Cook, stirring occasionally until the shrimp are just opaque, about 5 minutes.

Season the shrimp with the remaining 1 t. salt, pepper and Tabasco. Serve the shrimp over the grits and garnish with Parmesan cheese and parsley. (I just added the cheese at the end and skipped the parsley. I kept these pans with the lids on over on Kara's stove then transferred each into chafing dishes. One of which I couldn't keep warm, so under sweet Ashley Boeckmann King's suggestion, I nuked it in the microwave and quickly put back in the chafing dish. Big thanks to Ashley, keeping me thinking outside the box!)

Merry Christmas!

That's Kara's house in the picture, a great house for a great party with our closest friends!

PS. A big thanks to Martin who picked up my dry cleaning for the party. That was HUGE!

Peanut Butter Balls

Sunday, December 13, 2009

On of my favorite things is to get Chloe in the kitchen with me. So far at nearly 9, she isn't interested in anything but getting her food delivered to her. But at Christmas, we have a tradition of making this candy. It is really just a homemade Reece's Peanut Butter Cup. This was our fourth year making the candy and before starting it, we made cookies for her cookie exchange, and we were worn out that night! This is great fun, very messy (a kitchen volcano!), but very rewarding. The candy we don't give our friends and family, we keep in the freezer all year long. You only need one to take care of that sweet tooth.

Peanut Butter Balls (from the Cotton Country Cookbook, Junior League of Monroe, LA)

4 sticks butter, softened
2-2lb bags powdered sugar, maybe a little more
1 qt. crunchy peanut butter, I use creamy per Chloe's request
1 C. ground pecans, I never do this per Chloe
2-6-1/2 oz. semi sweet chocolate chips, I always use a 36 oz. bag because I've run out
1 block parafin, I use 3/4 a block (this can be hard to find, it's candle wax that should be near the canning supplies and flour isle)
Wax paper

Mix the first four ingredients and roll into 1 inch balls and chill until firm. If it's too wet, add more powdered sugar, you want the balls not too sticky. (This was the first year I had Chloe read the instructions to me while I got the supplies out and realized that I always mixed the peanut butter and chilled it, then did the balls. I've overlooked this for years. But it was easier having the balls cold when we dipped them in the chocolate, duh, Chloe said) Melt chocolate and parafin in a double boiler. (I don't have one and just use a bowl over a simmering pot of water) Insert a toothpick unto a ball and dip in chocolate and drain on waxed paper. (We use forks and find it's a lot easier). Makes 150 balls. Recipe by a Mrs. Jennings Wilkins.

Fun times with Chloe!! We banned Whit from coming over for a few days since he's allergic to peanut butter. I want my kitchen totally eradicated of all peanut butter.

The picture of my dogs are Tu Jaques, my last Afghan Hound who will turn 11 on Christmas Eve, and Chloe's Biscuit, a 2-1/2 year old mix breed. The picture was taken that night after making all the cookies and candy....very funny! Chloe and I were just as tired.

Merry Christmas!

Homemade Vanilla

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

With all the cooking around here I noticed that my 1/2 gallon of vanilla was getting low so I recently purchased some vanilla beans to make more. This recipe was given to me 12 years ago by Cozette Vaught, the fab cook here in Wynne. She's been making her own vanilla for years and it's divine. I love being able to make it and I have given it as gifts during the holidays. If you do this, you may consider adding a few drops of store bought vanilla to darken it. Some cooks could freak when they see the color of yours but they should let the taste speak for itself.

I use a 1/2 gallon of the cheapest Vodka I can find and 4 vanilla beans. According to Cozette, the type of vodka doesn't matter, it is the bean that matters. Until this purchase of beans at Fresh Market in Memphis, I usually buy Madagascar Vanilla Beans via amazon.com. We'll see in a year what I think!

Homemade Vanilla from Cozette Vaught

1/2 gallon cheap vodka
4 vanilla beans
dark storage for 1 year

Get your beans on a cutting board and split down the middle. The inside of the bean provides the flavor and is grainy, so when splitting, don't scrape out the insides, just split and open with your fingers. Put all beans in new vodka bottle and store in a dark place, keeping the splash proof insert of the bottle intact. When I finish a 1/2 gallon I never throw away previous beans, I always add them to my new 1/2 gallon. It takes me 1-2 years to finish an entire 1/2 gallon of vanilla.

If giving as a gift be sure to filter due to tiny pieces of vanilla bean will come loose from the bean over time. I never filter when I pour out of the bottle when I cook, by the way.

My Epicurean Cutting Board purchased at the Viking Cooking School is really great! I recommend it for your epicurean as a gift!

Enjoy!

LaRand's Ham and Swiss Rolls

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Kara and I's annual Birdeye Christmas Party is coming up and one thing we both have to do working full time and being a parent, is plan ahead. The beauty of this recipe is that it is super easy and super tasty and super affordable. LaRand Thomas, who I coined as my Wynne mother, gave me this recipe a few years ago, to try for this party. We have loved these rolls so much, they are making their third visit to our party table. I make them, freeze them and once baked in the oven, they are fabulous just like I had made them that day! Thanks LaRand for such a timeless recipe! Another fab cook and fabulous entertainer in Cross County.

LaRand's Ham & Swiss Rolls

(Recipe for one batch, I always double it for 4 dozen!)


2 packages brown and serve rolls
1 stick butter, melted
1 T. dried chopped onion
1/4 c. spicy mustard (I always, always use Boar's Head)
1 T. poppyseed
1 package sliced Swiss cheese (I quarter each slice)
2 packages deli thin ham (I quarter every stack, this year I used a Corky's Sliced Ham)

Melt butter then add onion, mustard and poppyseed. Spread both sides of rolls with mustard. Put a piece of Swiss of cheese on both sides, 2 slices of ham in the middle. Place rolls in a greased 8X12 Pyrex or cake pan and covered with heavy foil and freeze. Thaw overnight in refrigerator, then bake in a 300 degree oven for 30 minutes covered. (Last year Kara's oven was on 350 and dried out the tops of the sandwiches, so 300 is key!)

Yum, I may have to make sure some come home with me after the party, they are so good!

And PS...LaRand let me use her exact kitchen cabinets and color in my kitchen when it was redone 2 years ago, exact copy, now that's what mom's do!